LIGHTWEL MATCH COMPANY

By,Aparna

Sairam singh

MATCH COMPANY IN INDIA ABOUT THE COMPANY. MARKETING MIX COMPETITORS MARKET RESEARCH PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION RETAILERS PERCEPTION OF PEOPLE SUGGESTIONS

CONTENT

First match company was establish in the year 1920.

Large scale production started in the 1970’s.

They also produced premium priced ,fancy and special matches.

In 1940s Lightwel company started in India.

MATCH COMPANY IN INDIA

Specialist in wax coated, book and festive matches.

Later entered regular matchbox industry. Four aces, chetak, snowax are the brands of

this company. In 1970, decline in sales is observed.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Product: The products are match sticks Book matches.

1.Wax coated 2. Book matches

3. Festive matches

Place: Dominant position in North Indian markets.

Price: The price of the match box was reasonable and affordable.

Promotion: Promotion is done in all retail outlets in north India

MARKETING MIX

The only competitors are small scale manufacturers.

Owing to the excise rebates and other incentives the small sector had steadily gained the market.

Black bird matches by a small Haryana based firm attracted the urban market.

COMPETITORS

1972 1973 19740

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Production of Match Boxes

Although the brand is well known to the people the sales has declined in 1970 so research has been conducted.

What factors influence consumers to buy the matches?

By questionnaires. By focus groups. By interviews.

MARKET RESEARCH

 The brand awareness of LMC is very high in consumers as well as in retailers, but the retailers were actively pushing the lower price brands.

A major portion of consumers were indifferent to the brand of match box they got.

The major problem in the Lightwel match company

1. Retailers2. Perception of people about price

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

61% of the people are aware of the brand but only 20% were actually using it.

It shows us that the retailers were not pushing the sale of the brand even when the people were well aware of it.

The product occupies more space and less margin so the retailers prefer to keep their stock low.

The retailers are the ones who decide which brand to push; hence they keep the stock for those brands which earns them higher margin.

RETAILERS

Snowwax was distinctly perceived to be high price brand.

92% thought Snowax was at 10p , 8% thought it was at 8p.

10% thought chetak was at 9p, 60% thought it was at 8p, 30% thought it was at 7p.

 82% thought Black Bird is 7p, 18% thought it was at 8p… 76% thought Four Ace was at 8p and 21% thought it was at 7p.3% thought Four Ace was at 10p.

29% use LW brands.

PERCEPTION OF PEOPLE ABOUT PRICE

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Summary of Transactions observedat Retail outlets

As people are perceiving lightwel matches as high price we can suggest that to display the price on match box so consumers know the actual price when they see it.

Establishing a wholesale market of this company to encourage sales.

Decreasing the size of the product as it occupies more space.

SUGGESTIONS

As consumers are not concerned about the brand it is suggestible that The retailers margins are to be increased. New market entries are restricted (as in

Coke & Pepsi) Should concentrate on supply and

distribution of products. Less match sticks boxes are to be

introduced as product orientation.